Whispered Existence
by IndianSummer
Summary: As Rory settles into life at Yale and a new relationship, a mystery man from her past threatens to upturn her delicately balanced life. AU.
1. Prologue: Whirlwind

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Title: Whispered Existence 

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Authors: Summer and Joan

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Dedication: To Katherine, because she is just so sweet, and she deserves it.

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Authors' Note: Basically, Joan came up with the idea, Summer helped her elaborate on it and develop all the characters. She outlined it and basically wrote this chapter, lol. Joan was at her beach house! But you don't really care, do you? 

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Reviews are really great. If you don't review, we might send Ian after you. He does work for the FBI now, and he's a criminal. He won't mind doing our dirty work. Consider this a warning.

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Summary: As Rory settles into life at Yale and a new relationship, a mystery man from her past threatens to upturn her delicately balanced life. AU.

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Prologue: Whirlwind

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Chapter Summary: As Rory meets her roommates, the door to her old life in Stars Hollow is gently closed.

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Rating: R for adult material; swearing, implied sex

An outsider never would have been able to tell that these Friday night dinners had just commenced again. The situation was the same as it had been from Rory's sophomore year on, her mother sitting tense in her chair, responding bitterly to everything her grandmother said.

Emily glaring at her daughter, arms crossed against her chest, eyes narrowed. Words were exchanged, scowls were traded. If looks could kill…

Rory Gilmore sat quietly at her seat next to her mother, watching the exchange between the two older generations of Gilmore girls. She glanced at her grandfather quickly, smiling as she noticed that he, as usual, was almost completely oblivious to the hostility between mother and daughter.

Rory stared down at her plate uncomfortably as another round of insults began, twirling her mashed potatoes around on her plate, creating a whirling design of mashed potatoes mixed with peas. She'd never liked either anyway.

She still missed Jess. It'd been just over three months since he'd left, and she'd told him two and a half months ago she was over him. Within seconds of admitting she'd loved him. Slightly hypocritical, she knew. But it still hurt. The fast paced Europe trip had been a distraction, but when night fell, her mind had still drifted back to her sullen ex, her heart aching. It hurt, the way he'd left without saying a word. But that was what he did best. He'd left before, without any explanation. She'd had to track him down in New York to get one.

But Venice wasn't New York. Venice was 2,944 miles away. Yes, she'd checked. What were websites like MapQuest for if you couldn't check how far away your boyfriend lived? Rory couldn't get on a bus and head for Venice, like she had for new York. It was too far, too distant. Distant. Like she and Jess had become.

A particularly loud argument pulled Rory from her thoughts. She turned toward her mother, who'd pushed back her chair and stood up, hands on her hips. 

"You aren't doing that, Mom. I won't allow you to. We don't need you to pay for anything else, we don't want anymore strings attached. We-"

"Lorelai, really," Emily said, her voice rising, "what strings are you talking about? Is it wrong to want to provide for my granddaughter, to make sure she lives in a nice house while she attends Yale?"

"Yes," Lorelai responded, "It is wrong. It's wrong when you're trying to take advantage of us, trying to put my daughter in a house that costs millions of dollars."

"Lorelai, think this through. She'd have roommates. Plus, the rent would not be millions," Emily reasoned, shaking her head. "Really, you overreact-"

"Rory will be fine living in campus, or in a cheap apartment nearby. She doesn't need to live in a million dollar old Victorian with a bunch of prissy, stuck up, rich kids. She'd be fine-"

"Now it's wrong that I want my granddaughter to have the best? I'd think that as her mother, you'd want the best for her as well, Lorelai. Silly me, though. If the best in any way has to do with me, it's not worth-"

Lorelai looked as if she'd been struck across her face. "I do want the best for Rory. But living in a house she can't afford isn't the best, Mom. It's-"

"Mom, calm down. Grandma, I'll be fine. I-"

"Rory, don't get involved." Lorelai held out a hand, her voice possessed a certain warning. "I don't want-"

"Rory has every right to be involved," Emily interrupted. "The matter is about her. Rory, wouldn't you like to live in a-"

Rory sighed. There wasn't any escaping these situations. She should've known that by now.

"Hon, you can't forget these fuzzy slippers."

Rory turned to her mother and smiled when she saw the three-year-old pig slippers, sparkling with sequins. "I don't need those. I have a perfectly good pair of slippers." She pulled a plain blue pair from the bag and held them up.

Lorelai frowned. "But those are so boring. Don't you want your roommates to look at you and be like, 'Whoa, she's exciting' instead of thinking you're boring?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "I doubt my roommates are going to judge me based on my slippers."

"You never know." Lorelai shrugged before throwing the slippers to Rory. "Just in case?"

"Mom, you've already made me add about a dozen 'just-in-case' things. I don't have any more room for 'just-in-case.'"

Lorelai sighed. "I know. It's just I want you to be prepared. You're leaving for college tomorrow."

"I know."

"You're leaving me tomorrow."

"I know."

Lorelai pouted. "You're going to get rich and famous and forget about me."

Rory smiled. "Well, duh. But I promise I'll try to mention you when I'm getting a Nobel Prize."

"Not funny."

"Geez, should the streets be this crowded at 10 in the morning? Why are people even out of bed at this time in August?" Lorelai asked, maneuvering Rory's Toyota Prius around a parked car.

"That one's not moving, Mom."

"I know. Well, what about all the other ones? What about the green one we almost crashed into?"

"Well there has to be a few cars on the road at any time. Otherwise it's just weird."

"Good point." Lorelai paused. "Did those directions say Chapel was off of Middleton?"

"Yeah…" 

"Well, I've been staying on the road but now the sign says we're on Ferry Street."

"I don't know. Try a little further." A moment later, Rory spoke up. "There! There to the left. It says Chapel Street."

"But the directions said it was off Middleton," Lorelai responded, taking the left.

"Middleton and Ferry must be the same," Rory responded, shrugging. It doesn't matter."

"We're looking for 242, right?"

"Yeah. Well, this is 13, so it has to be further down on the right."

"It's nice, Rory."

"Yeah." Rory glanced around the condo happily. It wasn't as huge as the old Victorian Emily had hoped she'd stay in, or as small as the apartment Lorelai thought she could afford. Her mother and her grandmother had come to a surprisingly good compromise.

"I'm just mad my mother's paying a portion of the rent."

"It's better than her paying the whole thing, Mom. And she was just trying to be helpful."

"No, she was trying to show me I'm not fit to be a mother, because I can't provide for you."

Rory rolled her eyes. "No she wasn't." She opened the refrigerator in the kitchen, grinning. "Whoa, look at this thing. It's huge. And organized. Did you know the inside of a fridge was supposed to be white?"

Lorelai laughed. "You're never going to survive here. What if they expect you to cook?"

"Then I'll do my best, and try not to burn the house down in the process." Rory paused. "I'm going to be fine, Mom."

"I know you will. I'm just worried. I didn't go to college, Rory, so I couldn't really prepare you for what to expect, and I feel bad about-"

"Don't, Mom," Rory interrupted. "It's going to be okay."

"And you promise you'll come home for weekends."

"Yep."

"And that you won't end up coming home pregnant, beat up, or high?"

"Yep."

Lorelai sighed. "Good. But I have to go now. I'll be half an hour late for a meeting about the Dragonfly as it is."

Rory nodded, giving her mother a quick kiss. "Good luck, Mom. Knock 'em dead."

"You too."

Rory was unpacking her suitcase when she first heard the voices. One male, one female, down the hall. Both were carefree and blithe; neither seemed to pose a threat.

Still, Rory wasn't sure what New Haven's crime rate was, and for all she knew, they were robbers. Grabbing her copy of David Copperfield, she quietly left her room, holding the book in front of her.

In the kitchen she found the owners of the voices. A boy and a girl, about her age, were leaning against the counter, chatting.

The boy glanced up when she entered. "You must be the other roommate," he said good-naturedly, glancing at the book in her hand. "David Copperfield? Quite the weapon."

"It is. It's over a thousand pages, and hitting someone over the head with it could definitely knock them out. I'm Rory Gilmore, by the way." She held out her hand.

The boy walked toward her and shook her hand, grinning. "I'm Gregg Stanley," he said.

Rory took in the boy. His eyes were a pale blue, and his hair was a disheveled brown. He was cute, Rory thought, and very gay. She'd known since the second she saw him. His openness and his gestures seemed to point that way, not to mention his great fashion sense. "Nice to meet you, Gregg." She turned to the girl. "And you too…"

The girl had flaxen blonde hair, the kind it seemed only models possessed. Straight and glossy, past her shoulders. Her eyes were also blue. "Alexandra Carlson," she said.

"Hi, Alexandra." Rory squeezed her hands together uncomfortably. The girl didn't say anything else; she just sat there, almost sizing Rory up.

Gregg cleared his throat, glancing between the two girls. "Um, okay. Rory, we were just about to sit down and watch TV. Would you like to-"

He was interrupted by the slamming of the condo door. A minute later, another girl entered, her hair pulled into a loose, messy bun, strands of bright red falling out. The girl had definitely gone for the shock effect when she'd had her hair highlighted. Throwing a hemp bag onto the kitchen table, she snarled as she saw Rory. "Just what I need," she said sarcastically, scowling.

Gregg greeted the girl, but she didn't respond. "And this is Jade Harrison," Gregg told Rory. "Apparently, she forgot her manners and couldn't figure out how to greet the newbie. I promise her bark's worse than her bite."

Rory met the girl's dark eyes, and somehow she doubted that. Jade Harrison wore torn wide leg jeans and a black tank top, and Rory couldn't help but think the girl would be trouble. "I'm Rory," she offered meekly, and Jade rolled her eyes in response. Right. The roommate situation wasn't going too well.

"What's with the book? So you're one of those types," Jade said, glancing down at Rory's tattered copy of David Copperfield. "Like you live in a fantasy world. I wonder what Yale's going to do to you."

Rory frowned. She wasn't sure whether or not Jade had meant that as an insult or not.


	2. Book One: Chapter One Green Tea Kind of...

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Authors: Summer and Joan

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Title: Whispered Existence

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Rating: R

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Chapter Title: Green Tea Kind Of Girl

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Chapter Summary: Some roommates are easier to get along with that others, at least for Rory.

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Dedication: To Lola. 'Cuz without her ranting and encouragement, we wouldn't be writing… at all or missing Lauren on _The View_.

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Authors' Notes:

Wow, I'm not used to updating this quickly. Um, right. So, this chapter has already been outlined out, which is why it's done so quick. And I love reviews. ;) And I have absolutely nothing to say.

-Summer, the manic outliner

Heh, without Summer's manic outline, I never would have finished this. Or even started it, lol. Huge thanks to everyone on ORG, just 'cuz. I have to agree with Summer {yet again}, on that I have nothing else to say.

-Joan, the un-nicknamed crazed coauthor 

Disclaimer: If we owned anything of any importance, would we be writing at ff.net? Just think about it.

The kitchen was peculiarly quiet. Alexandra and Gregg stood off to the side, watching the other two girls. Jade stood with her arms crossed by her waist, scrutinizing Rory. 

Rory glanced away uncomfortably, not used to being observed so carefully. "It's, uh, nice to meet you," she offered.

Jade shrugged her shoulders, glancing over at Gregg and Alexandra. "I'm sure they've told you otherwise." She scowled.

"Um, no, actually," Rory responded. "They didn't mention you. They just got home a minute ago, actually."

"Ah, out practicing consumerism," Jade replied, smirking. "You know, the price of Al's outfit could feed a small country."

Alexandra rolled her eyes. "Jade…"

Jade held up a hand, silencing the blonde. "I'm done for now, princess. Don't worry; you're safe. I don't have the time… or energy… to throw around much more casual banter." 

Rory smiled. "You seem busy."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "I am."

"What are you doing?"

"Going out." The girl definitely didn't make conversations easy.

"Oh. Okay."

Before Rory could say anything else, Jade glanced at the clock and swore under her breath. "I'm late. Gotta jet. See you later, Lori."

Rory walked into the living room, and found Alexandra sitting on the couch, lazily flipping through a magazine. "Hey," Rory said, sitting down in a nearby chair.

Alexandra looked up, "Oh, hey."

"Soooo," Rory said, awkwardly, "Is that a good magazine? What is it, Vanity Fair?"

Alexandra rolled her eyes, "Yup. The Hot Teen stars issue. I just looove Hilary Duff."

Rory chuckled appreciatively. She could deal with sarcasm; it was certainly better than nastiness.

"So, you've been here for a week already?"

"Yup. One miserable week of Jade coming in and out. I don't know where she goes, but she certainly goes somewhere at night. I don't think she drinks though; she never stumbles in or is hungover the next day. Weird way to have fun at night, but whatever. She's just different than what I'm used to, I guess."

"Oh," Rory didn't know what to say in return. "Well, Alexandra, she does come off pretty rudely."

She rolled her eyes, "Puh-leez don't call me Alexandra. It makes me feel like my grandmother."

"Oh, sorry." Rory shrunk back, slightly intimidated.

"No, it's fine. I just prefer that my friends call me, Alex or maybe Lexi. You should call me Alex."

"Oh, okay. So I would count as one of your friends?"

"Of course! But, Jade…" Alex shook her head. "She calls me Al. Can you believe that? It makes me feel like a beer swigging mechanic."

"Heh, well she seems to be making false pretenses about all of us. She said I live in a fantasy world."

"Doesn't surprise me. She is so nasty to Gregg. Maybe she thinks he's a fag or something."

Yet again, Alex left Rory at a loss for words. She curled her legs up in the chair. "That's rude of her. The little of Gregg I know so far shows him as a nice person. She really shouldn't be judging him based on the fact that he's gay."

"Well, I don't know for a fact she thinks so. I'm just saying, that's all." Alex quickly redeemed herself; one of the things she had learned growing up was that you never said something that could be used against you. Though Alex thought she could trust Rory, she could never be sure.

"Of course," Rory assured her. Her voice was comforting to Alex.

Rory's cell phone rang shrilly, interrupting their conversation. Alex scurried off, leaving Rory to converse in peace. 

"Hello?" Rory answered.

"Hey babe!" Lorelai exclaimed, "How's college life so far?"

"It's good. So far I haven't ventured out of the condo."

"Oh, so you haven't met any hot guys yet?"

Rory giggled, "Well, one of my roomies is a guy. Gregg Stanley."

Lorelai's tone grew cautious, "It's never good to get involved with a roommate."

"No need to worry, Mom. He's uh, He's gay."

Lorelai paused, obviously contemplating this. "Hey, he probably has a lot of cute straight friends then. And, as Grace knows, gay guys make the best friends. Keep him close."

Lorelai continued, "What about the other two?"

"Alex seems nice, if not a little snobbish. I'm sure she'll break out soon enough. Jade, well I don't really know. She said I live in a fantasy world. Alex says she is nasty to Gregg and that she disappears at night."

Lorelai replied, "Well, you don't know the full story. Give Jade some time before you go making conclusions."

"Okay," replied Rory, "I'm not in any rush to be her best friend though."

"You don't have to be, sweetie. Sometimes you just have to wait a while before someone comes around. Remember how nasty people were to you when you first came to Chilton? But after a while, Paris and her cronies came around and bibleboy was shipped to Military school. Life always works out in the end."

Rory was obviously brightening up, "I'll give her a chance, okay? How's life in the Hollow as a single woman?"

"Well, on my way home, I stopped by Luke's. It was Danish Day! Heh, Danes' Danish. He says hi."

"Hi Luke," Rory cut in.

"Anyway, he told me Jess called."

Rory's voice quivered, "What did he say?"

"Luke says he's doing fine. But he's not so hot about the pastel colors."

"Oh," said Rory, "he didn't mention me?"

"Nope. Listen, I got to go. Sookie and I are meeting with an interior decorator about the Dragonfly."

"Bye, Mom. Have fun."

"Bye."

Rory clicked the end button and slipped the phone back into her purse.

Rory had just settled into the LAZ-boy with a novel she'd bought on the way to New Haven when Gregg knocked on the doorframe.

She glanced up at him. It was cute that he was so aware of personal space. "You can come in," she said, offering a smile.

"Alex and I usually go to this nearby coffeehouse for dinner, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come," he said, walking into the room.

Rory paused. She'd wanted to read a little, but this would get her out of a potentially embarrassing situation where she had to play Suzy Homemaker and cook dinner. "Okay."

Gregg grinned. "Really? Okay then."

Rory smiled as Gregg walked out of the room, and followed him a moment later. It was comforting to her that someone she barely knew could be so friendly to her.

"So, Jade didn't want to come," Alex said sarcastically. Although the wording would suggest a question, she'd stated the assumption as if it were a simple fact.

"She said she's not into coffee. She's more a 'green tea kind of girl.'" Gregg mimicked Jade's degrading tone.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Jade's just way too cool and sophisticated for us, let me tell you."

Rory smiled awkwardly, not one to join in on insulting someone. "Maybe she was busy doing something else," Rory offered meekly.

Gregg shook his head. "No, Jade is one of those people who never plans things in advance."

"Maybe she just doesn't trust people enough to make friends," Rory theorized.

Gregg shrugged. "Maybe she had a bad past. Maybe one of her parents abused her. Maybe one's a drunk. Maybe-"

"Gregg," Alex interrupted suddenly, shaking her head. "You're letting your imagination run away with you. Believe me, I can tell when someone has an alcoholic parent."

Gregg glanced away, and Rory didn't know what to say. An awkward silence ensued.

A few minutes later, a waiter ambled over to the table. "Hey. Are you ready to place your order?"

Rory took in the waiter. He was cute, with the stereotypical tall, dark, and handsome look. He also had a bit of a French accent. She was about to order her drink when Alex spoke up.

"I'll order you," she said, raising an eyebrow. "With a side of that accent. Yummy."

The waiter laughed softly. "I don't believe I'm on the menu."

"You should be. You're delish. I'm sure you'd sell out pretty quickly, though." She pouted. "I'd have to get here early."

"I doubt that."

"Ooh, and you're modest too. This just keeps getting better." Alex grinned, leaning toward the waiter. "Are you single too?"

"Yes," the waiter said, taking a step back.

"Tell me. How can a specimen as perfect as you be single?"

Gregg cleared his throat, grabbing Alex's shirt and pulling her toward her. "Back, Tiger. Calm down." Turning to the waiter, he rolled his eyes. Gesturing to Alex, he said, "I'm sorry, she hasn't taken her medication yet."

The waiter laughed. "Well, I don't have a problem with that. I'm Jason, by the way. And I'm here late." His gaze lingered on Alex.

Rory's eyes widened. "Um… right," she recovered quickly. "I'll take a French Vanilla coffee, with cream and three teaspoons of sugar, please."

Rory stepped out of the booth with Alex and started walking toward the door. She stopped suddenly and turned toward Alex. "Are we waiting for Gregg?" she asked.

Alex nodded. "He's tipping the waiter," she explained, nodding toward the table.

Rory raised her eyebrows as Gregg placed two bills on the table, what appeared to be a twenty and a ten. Quite the tip for a $20.95 meal. "Should we pay him back?"

Alex shook her head. "No point in it. He won't let us. Mommy still gives him a weekly allowance. More than I could probably spend in a month, and as Jade says, I practice consumerism." Rory laughed.

Gregg joined the two girls and swung his arms around their shoulders. "So, ready to go?"

"Yep," Alex replied, letting Gregg pull her out the door.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Unexpectedly, Alex turned to Rory. "I'm going out for lunch with a few friends tomorrow. Gregg can't come, but I'd love to have you come."

Rory paused. It was nice of Alex to invite her, but it was odd since they weren't truly friends yet. "Um, okay," she said slowly.

Alex grinned. "You'll love them, I promise."

Gregg nodded. "Yeah, they aren't shallow at all," he said monotonously, earning a jab in the ribs from Alex.

Rory laughed again, feeling at ease with her roommates. It occurred to her that she'd bonded with them fairly quickly. To think just a few days before, she'd worried her roommates would be distant.

Alex, Gregg and Rory snuggled into the couch as Jade popped the video into the VCR. Jade sat down in the LAZ-Boy , and glanced over at the three. Alex caught her eyes, and Jade quickly looked away. "So, Gregg, did you talk to your Mom today?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. She says she's doing fine, but she misses me."

"Awww. How sweet," Alex joked. She turned toward Rory, "Gregg here is the epitome of a Momma's boy."

Gregg grinned, "What can I say? It certainly helps with my credit card bills."

Rory giggled, "That it would."

Alex sighed loudly, she couldn't stand not being the center of attention. "So, Rory, what are you majoring in?"

"Journalism," Rory said with a smile, "It's just always been my dream to be an international correspondant."

"Oh. I'm majoring in International Business/Trade/Commerce. " Alex shrugged, "It just made sense, ya know? I've been brought up around business talk and I love to travel. What about you Gregg?"

"Humanities. I'm a people person and er…it was my Mom's major."

Rory giggled. She turned to Jade, almost fearfully, "What's your major, Jade?"

Jade's gaze switched from the movie, to Rory, almost automatically. Jade didn't answer. Rory flinched, wondering whether Jade was going to answer or not. 

She finally responded, "Double major. Political Science and theatre." Her eyes returned to the screen, where a blonde actress was screaming, "Come back, George! Come back!"


	3. Book One: Chapter Two Perfect Pair of P...

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Authors: Summer and Joan

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Title: Whispered Existence

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Rating: Changed to PG-13, for now.

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Chapter Title: Perfect Pair of Pants

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Chapter Summary: Rory meets Alex's friends… and an old "friend."

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Dedication: To Marissa, our very first reviewer! Err, and thanks for mentioning Pepe's, lol.

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Authors' Notes:

Um, I'm going away Sunday. For a week. Camping. Me, camping? Right… Well, anyway, we wanted to update before I left, so it's a little short, but whatever. I hope you enjoy it.

-Summer, the manic outliner

:tear: I will miss you, lickergirl. No way would I ever let my Dad take me camping. Kath better dance for me while you're gone. Sorry this chapter's so short, we wanted to update before Summer leaves. We changed the rating for now. Nothing R rated is happening for a while. I loooove reviews.

-Joan, the un-nicknamed crazed coauthor 

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Disclaimer: If we owned anything of any importance, would we be writing at ff.net? Just think about it.

"So… um, what meals do you not eat here?" Rory asked Gregg and Alex, gesturing to the coffeehouse.

Gregg crinkled his nose. "Lunch. We usually have lunch somewhere else. We've both tried to cook once, and it hasn't come out, um, anywhere near good either time."

"Anywhere near edible," Alex put in.

Rory laughed. "Well, I can't cook either so don't worry about it."

Gregg paused. "You know we are eventually going to make you cook, right? Or at least try?"

Rory raised an eyebrow. "You won't be eating that night."

Gregg shrugged. "No big loss. That's why we'll have a big lunch." The three laughed together as they entered the coffeehouse.

"That's what she orders every time we're here. Bottled water! Who else orders bottled water in a coffeehouse? Only Alex, I tell you. She's a weird one." Gregg grinned at Alex from across the corner table.

Alex rolled her eyes, strangely quiet compared to how she'd been the day before. Perhaps she was just tired. "Unlike you, Gregg, I'm not blessed with a fast metabolism."

"One cup of coffee isn't going to kill you. In fact, it may make you stronger. And you need a little meat on your bones anyhow."

"I'd prefer to have a waist, thank you."

Rory watched the exchange in amusement. Alex was the typical girly-girl, only with better comebacks. And Gregg… there was no adjective for Gregg.

Rory was jerked from her thoughts when the conversation was turned toward her. "See, Rory drinks coffee, and she's in good shape. Rory, tell Alex she should have a cup of coffee."

"Okay. Um, Alex, you know, you should have a cup of coffee," Rory said, trying to keep a straight face.

Alex laughed. "Thanks Rory. Since the advice was so original and came from you, maybe I will." She proceeded to slap Gregg lightly in the back of the head. Turning to Rory, she added, "I'm going to lunch with a few friends. You should come. Ooh! And come shopping with me! We can have a girls' day out."

Rory and Alex stepped out of Alex's car, a comfortable Lexus sedan. They had driven the 20 minutes or so to Farmington, where Alex claimed, "the shopping was a million times better."

Looking around, Rory had to admit she agreed. Instead of the thousand Yale merchandise stores, there was a bebe and a BCBG Max Azaria. Not necessarily her stores, but better than Urban Outfitters.

As they entered the store, a saleslady smiled at Alex. As she made her way directly to the sale rack, it became clear it was not her first time in here. Forgoing an olive green miniskirt and some ugly tops, Alex knew exactly what she was looking for.

The perfect pair of black pants.

"They're a necessity!" Alex called from the dressing room. Stepping out, she asked of Rory, "Do these look okay?"

Rory tried to ignore her visible bra. "Look great to me. Turn around."

Alex twirled around. "Should I get them? They're only $110."

"Okay. They're nice enough."

Alex walked to the cash register and purchased the pants with her platinum American Express card. 

She turned towards Rory, "Let's go to bebe now. You look like you could use a new skirt."

Pepe's was pretty crowded for a Tuesday afternoon. Rory followed Alex to a wooden booth toward the back of the room, where four people were already sitting. 

As she came closer to the table, she could make out the four people more clearly. There were three girls; two blondes and a brunette. The fourth was a guy, who had his arm slung casually over the shoulders of one of the blondes, and they were sitting opposite the other two girls.

Sitting down opposite the couple, she recognized the man. Blonde hair, incredibly blue eyes. A familiar smirk. Tristan DuGrey.

"Hi, Tristan," Rory said, figuring she might as well get it out of the way. Yes, she already knew someone here.

Tristan's head jerked back and he gave Rory a second look. "Whoa. Rory. I didn't expect you to be the roommate Alex told me about, even though she…" He trailed off as the girl, assumedly his girlfriend, snuggled against his arm. "Oh, Rory, this is my girlfriend, Samantha Daniels."

Samantha could've been Tristan's twin. Her hair and eyes were the same color, and she had the same well-bred posture. Her eyes were a paler blue, however, and she didn't seem quite as… alive as him.

Rory smiled easily. "Nice to meet you, Samantha."

Samantha didn't return to the gesture.

Alex cleared her throat and gestured toward the other blonde girl. "This is Claudia Reynolds." On appearance, the girl was the stereotypical blonde. Claudia smiled, holding out her hand. 

"Hi Rory," she said sweetly. Rory shook her hand.

"And I'm Madison Burke," the other girl said quickly, before Alex had a chance to introduce her. "Pardon the unisex name, but my parents were never completely in their right minds." She shrugged, her glossy brown curls bouncing a little. "It's nice to meet you, Rory."

"You too."

Rory was surprised at how…different Tristan seemed, He was no longer the cocky jerk he had been at high school. He no longer referred to her as 'Mary.' He even had a steady girlfriend! Sure, she was a bitch, but what should Rory expect from one of his girlfriends? That girl he made out with in front of her locker was like that, too. Was her name Autumn? Some season. Rory couldn't remember.

Not like it mattered. That girl had dumped him at a party. The same one where… No, Rory was not going to think of that embarrassing moment while she was sitting across from his girlfriend. This wasn't the time nor the place. Besides, he looked pretty cozy with Samantha.

His voice interrupted her thoughts, "So, how was Chilton without me?"

Rory rolled her eyes, "Cleaner."

"So, I heard you made valedictorian. Must have really pissed off Paris."

Rory shrugged modestly, "Paris almost got it. The only thing that stopped her was her 96 on the Physics final. I got a 98."

"Oh," he said, "Did you two ever become friends?"

"Yup. Actually, I was vice-president to her president of the student body."

He smirked, "Once I left, no guy to fight over, huh?"

Rory saw Samantha give him a light nudge. "Tristan…" Samantha whined, expectantly.

"Um, right," Rory said, "So, Madison, what's your major?"

After Rory got home, she sat on the LAZ-boy thinking about her lunch. She felt most comfortable, both physically and mentally, in the chair. 

Madison had been the most friendly of Alex's friends. She'd told Rory she was from a small town in Georgia, about half an hour from Atlanta.

She was the epitome of a Southern belle. Seemingly sweet and innocent, kind and generous. She'd informed Rory that her major was 'Ethics, Minority, and Gender.' It seemed to fit her perfectly, from what Rory could tell.

Claudia had been fairly open as well. Out of the three, she seemed closest to Alex, often directing her comments toward her or talking about her. She'd said, after a moment's hesitation, that she was undeclared. She didn't see the point in tying herself to one major if she wasn't completely sure that that's what she wanted to do.

Samantha hadn't been quite as accepting. She hadn't been outwardly rude, but she'd seemed wary to Rory. She told Rory her major was French, both the language and the literature.

When Rory'd asked Tristan what his major was, he'd replied coolly, leaning back in his seat, "International Economics." He hadn't sounded enthusiastic, nor upset.

Rory sighed, pushing the chair backward. For some reason, Rory couldn't get his words out of her head.


	4. Book One: Chapter 3 The Cycle Continues

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Authors: Summer and Joan

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Title: Whispered Existence

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Rating: R

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Chapter Title: The Cycle Continues

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Chapter Summary: Rory's first day of classes.

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Dedication: To Betty. Because even though lately she's had her problems, she's always been there when we need her.

****

Authors' Notes:

Um, okay. So, this update took a while. Lets put it this way. My computer doesn't know how to save… at least not in English, Joan's computer, well, doesn't know how to work right now, and to put it bluntly, we've just sucked lately. Anyway, we hope you enjoy the chapter

-Summer, the manic outliner

Blame the slow updating on Summer. :p Nothing's ever my fault, no siree. Chaaaaaaaaad. I'm in a state of euphoria about One Tree Hill. Iaaaaan. Hope everyone loves Noel as much as I do!

-Joan, self proclaimed review whore 

****

Special Note: We are aware that we are kind of… redoing Yale here, with Freshman living off campus, a Journalism major, etc. We were aware that we weren't getting everything "right" from the start. But that's where Summer's "screw convention" attitude plays a major part. In order for this story to work, things need to be a little different. Please bypass the little details and just enjoy our story! We work insanely hard on it.

Rory pulled her empty laptop bag out from under her bed, and proceeded to fill it with her supplies. Assorted pens, pencils and sticky notes went in the front flap. Her wallet, a calculator and a worn copy of the Fountainhead followed. Finally Rory slipped in her Apple iBook into the main compartment.   
  
Swooping down towards her desk, Rory took a final sip of her coffee. She faintly remembered something her math teacher had said during her Chilton graduation, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."   
  
On graduation day, Rory felt more elated than she ever had. All her stress over the future, concern over Jess' absence and fear of leaving Lorelai were pushed away as she stood up on that podium. Now, her emotions were catching up with her and then some.   
  
Rory worried about how hard her classes would be, her fellow Journalism majors being better versed, her professors being too tough. She worried about not finding her classes, being late, getting yelled at, not finding a good seat.   
  
As Rory slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out, she just hoped that everything would turn out okay. It may not be the first day of the rest of he life, but it was most certainly her first day of college classes at Yale. She just hoped that it would be a nice beginning to her days as a Yale student.

Rory hesitantly entered the room at the end of the long hallway. Glancing inside, she was relieved to find a handful of students already inside. There were two life lessons Chilton had taught her- when trying something new, never be the first or the last to do so. Starting a new class seemed to count.

The students were dressed much like her. The boys wore khakis and button-down shirts; the girls skirts and blouses. Cool, crisp and professional. Rory mentally congratulated herself on her choice of the simple cotton skirt-shirt combination.

She took a seat in the front of the room, pulling out her laptop as she waited for class to start. She'd arrived five minutes early.

The professor walked in at exactly 9:30. She was young, probably in her early thirties. "I'm Professor Delaney, but I think that makes me sound too old, so you can call me Jessica."

Rory smiled at the teacher's informal introduction, so different from the reserved Chilton teachers. 

Jessica smiled at the class, sitting on top of a desk at the front of the room. "I'm not big on the whole "sitting down, taking notes" kind of deal, because Journalism is hands-on, you know? So basically, today will be like an introduction, teach you the basics, what this course is about, what you should do. And next class… we'll meet outside." She pushed a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear, glancing around. "You," she said, pointing to a boy in the front of the room. "What do you think the most important thing is to keep in mind when investigating a story?"

The boy sat straighter, tense. "Um…" He paused for a minute, then shrugged. "I don't know. Quoting sources?"

"No. Ethics. See, journalists get a bad name for intruding on people's privacy, breaking stories. Yet when cops do the same thing, they're heroes. So, anyone have any suggestions about what's pushing Journalism too far? Where are the boundaries?"

Rory thought over the question before tentatively raising her hand. Jessica nodded to her. "Yes?"

"It's all relative," Rory said slowly. "Depending on the kind of story. Stories that have less of an impact on the public… such as a fireman rescuing a cat or the president turning 52... those things aren't the kind of stories that people will be thinking about the next day. It's the serious stories, like murder or international conflict that, depending on how a reporter handles it, can scar that reporter's reputation. I think that most things are within a journalist's boundaries, but some things are pushing it. Such as interviewing a person who found the murdered body of a family member that day. It's one of those things that even if you get a good story, you'll still feel horrible at the end of the day, and everyone will think you are too."

Jessica nodded. "Exactly. Journalism is about Ethics. You can push them as far as _you_ can handle pushing them. This is going to sound clichéd, but the public has a right to know the truth. And the public relies on journalism for this."

Rory smiled, leaning back in her chair. She'd enjoy this class.

Rory's hand shot up in the air. She knew the answer to that question. Rory quickly glanced around the room. Wow. Was she really the only one who could comprehend that? She had learned it junior year on the Franklin. 

Suddenly, she noticed a hand waving franticly in the air. Rory craned her neck to peer around the large lecture hall. She noticed a long mane of blonde hair, sitting in the front row. The teacher looked down at her clipboard, "Yes. Miss...Gellar is it?" 'Gellar? Hmph,' Rory recognized that name.

Miss Gellar' swished her shiny long, dirty blonde hair and proceeded to give a long winded, complicated answer. Rory was shell shocked. She had really doubted that Paris would be at Yale. Could it be her? Or did she have some freaky long lost twin?

As Rory took in the signature blonde hair, and listened to her answer, she became sure. It had to be her. It had to be Paris.

Rory met up with Paris outside the room after class. They walked together from the building in silence, pleased to have met up with one another.

As they entered the courtyard, Rory opened her mouth to speak. "So, why Yale?" she asked bluntly, sidestepping overgrown shrubbery. "At the end of last year you seemed to be leaning toward Princeton."

Paris met her gaze, almost defiantly. "I was," she said simply.

"And…" Rory pushed hesitantly. Paris didn't usually need to be goaded.

Paris shrugged. "Well, it's closer to home, which is a pro. I can still see Nanny and the kids on the weekend."

Rory frowned. "What about Jamie? I know you're too smart to base your decision on him but shouldn't he have been a factor?"

"We broke up," Paris supplied smoothly, shrugging. "A few days after graduation."

"Oh." Rory wasn't sure what else she should say.

"Well, things started falling apart after my meltdown on C-SPAN, so I wasn't really surprised. I couldn't blame him. I knew it was coming and when it did, I felt… relieved."

Rory wasn't used to Paris being so forward with her emotions, at least not in such a calm way. "Do you guys still get along?" she asked, her thoughts turning toward her relationship with Jess.

"Yeah. We still talk once in awhile and email each other. What about you and…" Paris trailed off, unsure of the name.

"Jess," Rory supplied.

"Yeah. How's that going?"

"Not so good. He left. For Venice Beach, to seek out his dad. We haven't really talked."

"Oh, I thought it was weird he didn't show up at graduation. Had he already left?"

"Yeah. Drove a nice little wedge between me, my mom, and my grandmother though. I'm mad at him, so my mom's mad at him since I'm mad at him, so I'm mad at her for being mad at him for making me mad, and my grandmother's mad at my mom for making me mad because she's mad I'm mad… and the cycle continues."

"A lot of madness to go around," Paris quipped. The summer had seemed to loosen her up. "But I know the feeling. My parents and I don't get along very well either."

"Really? And I'm not really still mad at my mom but she and my grandmother are still mad at each other so…" Rory trailed off, shaking her head.

"Yeah, really." Paris chose to ignore the second part of the statement. "That's actually part of the reason I chose Yale. Breaking the Gellar tradition and all."

Rory vaguely remembered that five generations of Gellars had gone to Harvard.

"Listen," Paris continued, "I haven't talked to you since graduation. Why don't you come to my room tonight and we can talk?" She scribbled her dorm room number and phone number on a sheet of paper she'd ripped loose from a binder.

"Okay," Rory answered. It wasn't like she was doing anything anyway.

It was 11:20. Rory sighed, glancing at her watch. The class started at 11, but the teacher still hadn't shown up. She'd figured Russian Literature wouldn't be the most conventional class given the subject matter, but she'd never thought the professor would skip out on the first day.

She stood up, deciding there was no point in staying here if there wasn't going to be a class.

"Generally, a teacher would apologize for being late, but I'm not like that. Hell, I'm not even a teacher. I'm an assistant."

Rory tensed at the voice, sitting back down and spinning around toward the source. A dark-haired man stood in the back of the room, looking over the class. "This is certainly a larger group than I was expecting," he started. "There was originally going to be three classes, I heard. However your professor, Mr. Mironov, is out for the next month or so due to a surgery. So, you're left with me. Sorry about that."

Rory watched as he started walking down the rows of bleacher like seats, handing out half sheets of paper randomly. "Somehow, they thought combining three classes into one would make it easier for me. I have absolutely no idea what they were thinking."

He stopped in front of Rory, handing her a sheet of paper. Rory took the paper from his hand hesitantly, glancing up at him. He wasn't much older than her, she realized. "What is-" she started to ask, but he'd already started walking off.

"Many of you are probably staring at me… or the paper, depending on what yours says… having no idea what to think of this. You each have three words on the paper. The first is a title, and the second and third are themes. And to prove you deserve to be in this class, you're going to have to explain to me how each theme relates to the novel and what each theme… and the novel's… importance is."

Rory glanced down at her paper. _Lolita. Lust. Violence._

"If you haven't read the novel, I have extra copies. Come by tomorrow and you can sign one out."

Rory sighed. She'd see him tomorrow then. Lolita had never been her kind of story.


	5. Book One: Chapter Four Burning Questions

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Authors: Summer and Joan

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Title: Whispered Existence

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Rating: R

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Chapter Title: Burning Questions

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Chapter Summary: Talking with the roommates

****

Dedication: To all our wonderful reviewers. 'Cuz you're the reason we keep writing. And as Joan says, you fuel us.

****

Authors' Notes:

So, I have essentially nothing to say. Anyway, I love writing this. It's fun to write, because whenever I get bored, Joan thinks of something new, some little twist for a character, something to make me see it in a new light. She's the best co-author I could ask for.

-Summer, the manic outliner

Bah. I'm tired. Um, AN? Right. Hey everyone! Aw, Summer is too sweet. SHe is a better writer than me and I worship her. All hail Summer. Yes, you should do that in the many reviews I want.

-Joan, the self proclaimed review whore

Rory put her laptop on sleep and zipped it safely back into its case. As she walked towards the exit, her eyes met with Noel's. They smiled at each other. Nervously, she gripped the strap of her laptop case. His eyes slowly trailed over her body, not once but twice. 

Rory faintly remembered Lorelai telling her the importance of the twice over versus the once over. She recalled that Lorelai had said it was much more important, and meant the guy truly had a thing for you.

Shaking her head, she slipped from the room.

Rory shifted the laptop case so it was resting between her body and the condo door. She opened the flap of the case, pulling out the key to the condo. As she was about to insert the key into the lock the door opened.

"Wow," Gregg jumped back, his eyes widening. "Uh, I didn't know you were there. I was just going to go get a newspaper…"

Rory smiled. "Sorry if I freaked you out. I was just coming back… from class. What time did your classes for today end?"

"Um, I have a class in a little bit, actually. I just came home between classes." He stepped to the side, allowing Rory to come in.

Rory walked past him toward the kitchen. Setting her laptop on the kitchen table, she turned back to Gregg. "Is there any food here?" she asked, opening a cabinet.

"Um, next cabinet down. There's pretzels, chips, Cheez-Its… that kind of thing."

Rory nodded, opening the cabinet and taking a bag of pretzels out. "Want some?" she asked, sitting down at the table.

Gregg nodded, sitting down across from her. "Yeah, sure." She offered the bag to him and he took a handful. "So, not to sound all motherly, but how was your first day of college?"

Rory shrugged. "Good. I guess."

"Meet any cute guys?" 

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Not in my classes. Well, one of my professors was cute. Kind of."  


"A professor. So, you're into that older guy thing? You know, the ones with dental plans and everything."

Rory smiled. "No. Not a professor, really. A teacher's assistant. But the professor's out because of a surgery, so he's the only one teaching."

"What's his name?"

She paused. "Noel Bradford."

Gregg's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah. He's cute. Seems smart, too. Which means he's probably gay." Rory froze. "Um, I didn't mean…"

Gregg laughed. "Hey, no problem. And he's not."

"What? How do you know that?"

"I just do."

Rory nodded. "Okay." She looked over at Gregg, not saying anything else.

"Just ask it."

"What?" Rory's eyes widened.

"I can tell you have a question. I won't be offended. I promise. Just ask it. We're going to be living together, and you shouldn't have to be curious all the time or whatever so…"

Rory sighed. "You're very perceptive, Gregg."

"And you're trying to avoid asking me a question."

"Yeah, I am." Rory paused. "You're sure you won't be offended."

"As long as you don't ask me what kind of freak I think I am, no, I won't be offended."

Rory smiled, shaking her head. "Fine." She paused again. "How did you know?" she blurted out quickly.

"That Noel isn't gay. Because he flirts with half the girls in the class. That was simple."

"No. I meant…"

"How did I know I was gay…"

"Yeah."

Gregg paused. "Um, I came out when I was sixteen. I'd gone to a party, and um… anyway, I'd kind of had feelings for this friend of mine for a while, but I ignored them. And you've probably heard that alcohol lowers inhibitions." Gregg glanced down at the table.

"Oh, Gregg. You don't have to go into this if you don't want-"

Gregg shook his head quickly. "No, it's okay. It was years ago. Um, anyway. I ended up kissing my friend, who of course kind of freaked out and didn't talk to me for weeks afterwards. I told my parents about a week after that."

Rory sighed, leaning forward. "How'd they take it?"

"My mom was cool. She was supportive, reassured me she still loved me. You know, said everything right. My dad… not so much. He yelled, china was broken, crying began."

"Oh."

"He said he didn't want "no faggot" living under his roof. He never actually kicked me out, but we haven't really talked since then."

"I'm sorry."

"I am too." Gregg paused. "Um, anyway. A guy called for you today. That cute friend of Alex's. Tristan, I think."

Rory's eyes widened, both shocked by the sudden topic change and the news of Tristan's call. "Um, okay then. Did he say what he wanted?"

Gregg shook his head. "Just said to have you call him."

Tristan felt a shaking in his pocket. His cell phone. He got up from the table at the coffee shop and excused himself from his friends. Stepping outside, he answered the phone, "Hello? Tristan DuGrey speaking."

"Uh, hi. This is Rory. Rory Gilmore, formerly known as Mary? Gregg told me you called?"

"Oh, hey. Yeah, I called. I just wanted to talk to you about….." he felt his voice trailing off. There was no way he could skip around this issue. He might as well cut to the chase already.

"About?" Rory prompted him, the curiosity evident in her tone.

"I, uh, I know I was a jerk to you in high school. I'm sorry. Really. I just wanted to know if we could put that behind us. We're both friends of Al's and knowing her, it'd be hard to avoid each other. It's completely pointless, really. I guess I wanted to ask if we could be friends."

"Friends? Us?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I really am. You have to believe me when I say I've changed. Military school was an interesting experience, to say the least. It was a shock after Chilton. Sure, I may still be the arrogant rich jerk you think of me as, but I'm eighteen now. I've obviously matured along with being able to legally buy my cigarettes."

He could tell he had taken her aback from her lack of reply. Tristan knew it was a slightly odd thing to say, but it had to be brought up sometime. Might as well be now. He sighed, "Rory?"

She hesitated, "Yeah. We can be friends. Like, it's unavoidable, right? Um. I gotta go." 

Tristan heard a click from the other end. He pressed the end button, deeply exhaling. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he re-entered the Mud House.

Rory was surprised by Tristan's revelation. She knew she couldn't say no, though. It would be pointless and threaten both of their relationships with Alex. There was no point dragging her into the twisted past that was Rory's years at Chilton. 

Besides, they'd see each other around campus. Maybe while buying coffee, books, whatever. Getting meals. His presence was unavoidable.

Try as she might to convince herself otherwise, she knew it wouldn't hurt to have him as a friend. There were no stuck lockers at Yale, they didn't even have lockers! 

Rory, however, couldn't shake the feeling that this was out of character for him. She could clearly remember him labeling her virgin Mary. Was that what this was about? Was he trying to get her in bed? She could have believed that in high school. 

But now, he had a steady girlfriend. She looked like she was happy with him and vice-versa. 

Oh well. There was no point in over analyzing this. Maybe he really did just want to be friends. Maybe not.

"I have to leave now. I have a class."

Rory glanced up at Gregg. "Okay. Have fun." She smiled weakly, thinking about their earlier conversation. "Meet a hot guy."

Gregg laughed, grabbing his laptop. "Yeah. I hope I do."

Rory smiled, watching him walk away.

A moment later, a door slammed. Rory looked up as Jade entered the room, pulling her hair down. "This sucks," she said, walking into the room.

"Excuse me?" Rory asked hesitantly, not wanting Jade to flip out on her.

"There's a clinic that was just set fire to a few miles away. People are so ignorant." Jade rolled her eyes angrily.

Rory frowned. "Why'd they set fire to it?"

"Because they gave some woman an abortion the other day. Big deal. it's none of their goddamned business anyway." She sighed. "Could you toss me that shirt?"

Rory picked up a black shirt from the top of a pile of laundry, reading _Pro-Child, Pro-Choice. _"Do you have a shirt for every occasion?"

"Um, yeah, pretty much."

Jade pulled the shirt over her head, then grabbed a pair of chopsticks, pushing her hair back into a messy bun and thrusting them in. "What time is it?"

"Um, almost 7."

"Shit. The rally starts at 7. Gotta go. Nice talking to you, Lori."

"Rory," Rory corrected meekly, watching as Jade started to walk away.

Jade stopped, turning back. "Right. Rory." She smiled.


	6. Book One: Chapter Five Muted Words

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Authors: Summer and Joan

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Title: Whispered Existence

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Rating: R

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Chapter Title: Muted Words

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Chapter Summary: Rory talks with Tristan, then Samantha and Alex show up.

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Dedication: To the trories at ORG. 

****

Authors' Notes:

Heh, there's no point in a note this time. But, anyway, there's a break in the lightning so I'm not afraid to touch the computer so I might as well type something. So, um, yeah. Hope you like this chapter. Yeah, I know that was completely pointless.

-Summer, the manic outliner

I'd have to say this is my favorite chapter so far. There's a lot of good dialogue ahead. Summer and I worked hard on this, as always. I hope everyone partying at ORG with me loves it! :D

-Joan, the self proclaimed review whore

Rory was looking over her journalism notes when she heard the doorbell ring. She sighed, pushing the notebook off her lap, standing up. "Coming," she called, although there was no way the person on the other side of the door could hear her.

She scrambled down the hallway toward the door, swinging it open. "Come in." She paused when she saw who it was. "Um, hi, Tristan."

Tristan stood in the doorway, his head tilted to the side. "Are those Oreos?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard her greeting.

"Huh?" Rory asked, completely confused. Tristan gestured to her pajamas and she nodded. "Yeah. Between me and my mother, I think we have every outfit that has anything to do with food."

Tristan smiled. "So, you still planning on letting me in?"

Rory realized she was still standing in front of the door. "Um, yeah," she said, stepping aside quickly. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I came looking for Alex. Seen her around?" Tristan poked his head into the living room, as if he expected her to be there.

"She's not here," Rory said, stating the obvious. "I actually don't know where she is."

"Oh."

"Do you need her for something important?" Rory asked, sitting back down on the couch.

Tristan shook his head, sitting down on the opposite end. "Not really."

"Well, you're welcome to wait for her here. I have to study though, so…"

"I'll be quiet."

Half an hour passed. Rory looked over the third page of her journalism notes for the fifth time, not absorbing any of it. She looked up at Tristan. "What's going on?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you've waited half an hour. Generally, someone would just leave a message with a roommate or something. Or leave and call later. But you're still here."

"Yeah. I guess I should get going. I just wanted to invite her to a party."

"What? No Sam?"

"Eh, you're lucky she didn't hear you call her that. And no. No Samantha." Tristan turned toward Rory, shrugging. "She's out. I don't know where."

"Huh. And I would've thought you'd always know where she is."

"What makes you think that?" Tristan asked, frowning.

Rory shrugged. "I don't know. You guys just seemed really close. I thought you would've-"

"She always knows where I am. I just don't always know where she is. I trust Samantha."

"Cool." Rory paused. "You know I wasn't saying you shouldn't trust her, right? Because that's not what I meant… at _all._"

"Yeah, I know. Well, I was going to go to a party with her. But she wasn't there, so I figured I'd ask Alex."

"And she's not here."

Tristan laughed. "Right. So… do _you_ want to go?"

"Third choice? Should I feel flattered?"

"I didn't mean-"

"No, no. I know. I was just joking." Rory looked over at Tristan. "I can't go to the party. I wouldn't know anyone anyway. Plus, I'm going to visit Paris."

Tristan's eyes widened. "She's…_here_?"

"Yes. Yes she is." Rory smirked. "Not expecting that?"

Tristan shook his head. "No. Not at all. She's like a leech. Always around. There's no getting rid of her."

Rory frowned. "She's a nice person. You don't have to be so-"

"I didn't mean it that way. I just meant… with the obvious exception of my time in military school, she's been in almost every single one of my classes since… well, since forever."

"Yeah, well Chilton's like that."

Tristan sighed, checking his watch. "You sure you don't want to come to the party? It could be fun."

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Okay. Bye then, Rory."

"Bye."

Rory watched as Tristan stood up and walked away. After a moment, she stood up herself, walking down the hallway to her room. She sighed, opening her door. This whole friendship thing with Tristan was going to be weird. She pulled off her pajamas, changing into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Rory heard the key turn in the door and looked up from her novel, Amoral Union, to see who was at the door. "Hey Alex," she said cheerfully. 

Alex walked into the room. "Hey Ror, I'm exhausted. "

She plopped down onto the couch, as Rory noticed someone behind her. "Oh, hi Samantha."

"Hello Lorelai," she replied, "Do you mind? I need to talk to my friend, Alex." She put an emphasis on my friend, Rory noticed. 

"Actually, I do mind. In case you haven't noticed, I'm studying here." Rory turned towards Alex, "Oh, Tristan came by looking for you."

"Okay. Thanks," she replied.

"Tristan?" Samantha said incredulously, "Why the hell was he here?"

Rory shrugged. She'd learned from her experience with Francie that it was best to be in control of the situation. She wasn't about to let Samantha get to her. "He just wanted to talk to Alex, I guess."

"But he ended up talking to you?"

"Yup. He mostly just waited for Alex, but eventually gave up. I was studying, just as I am trying to do right now. You know how we went to high school together, right?"

Samantha's eyes darted around the room, taking in the beat up LAZ boy chair Rory was in, the 3 year old TV Gregg brought from his room at home, and the scruffed coffee table covered in Rory's books. "Yes, Tristan told me all about it. He teased you?" She smiled smugly, as if to show off how close she and Tristan were and how nerdy Rory was.

'I bet he didn't tell her _everything_,' Rory thought to herself. She sharply inhaled and turned to Alex. "Alex, do you know what time it is?"  
  
She glanced towards her watch, "five thirty."  
  
"Shit!" cried Samantha, "Listen girls, I gotta run. Call me, Alex!" With a flip of her hair and a click of her heels, she was gone.

Alex looked at the closing front door and then back at Rory. "Wow, You dealt with her on your first try better than Madison can even now. I'm impressed."   
  
Rory wasn't quite sure if she was being sarcastic or not. Alex continued," Yeah, Samantha's a total bitch."  
  
Rory chuckled, "Yeah, that's pretty obvious."  
  
They were silent for a moment. Rory spoke, "So, did you guys go shopping or something?"  


"No. Samantha's a pain in the ass to shop with. Even if I did go shopping with her, she'd insist on Tristan coming with us."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"So he'd pay and carry her bags."  
  
"That's…uh, taking advantage of him." Rory remembered book shopping with Jess. She never would make him pay. Dean, however, would've insisted on it. She figured Tristan would insist on it, too. But Samantha forcing him to, was just a tad ornery.  


Alex shook her head, "I'm not even going to continue talking about them. Frankly, I think they make a cute couple and all that but…."  
  
"But?"  
  
She sighed, "I don't really like Samantha. She's just like this total bitch to everyone."  


"Well, yeah. I could tell."  
  
"She always has to know where Tristan is and what he's doing. They've been together for about six months and ever since their second date, 99% of his cell phone calls have been from her. It's insane. Give him a moment with his friends, for once. If they are friends who are girls there, she jumps to conclusions. Ick. She bugs me."  
  
"I can tell. So, if you hate her so much, why do you hang out with her?"  
  
"Tristan."  
  
"Makes you?"  


"No, he'd never do that."  
  
"So what then?"  
  
"Tristan and I go way back. Our brothers are friends."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah, they were roommates here. Well, not in this condo, but they did share an apartment for their four years. Basically, if she wasn't Tristan's girlfriend, I wouldn't put up with all her shit. It's kinda just a courtesy to Tristan that I'm friends with her."  


"Well, that's nice of you. I don't know that I could put up with her for so long."  
  
Alex shrugged, "I've gotten used to her."  
  
"Um, sorry for being repetitive, but what time is it? I have to meet someone back at the dorms at five."  
  
"You better go then. It's five-fifty."  
  
"'Kay. Bye!" Rory picked up her purse and keys and walked towards the door.  
  
"See ya! Have fun."  
  
Rory walked out the door and in the direction of Paris' dorm.   


  



End file.
